


Atlas Talks, but Wolves Howl Louder

by Ahhuya



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Keith just takes care of his man with a nice walk and pizza and that's all tbh, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 06:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16551062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ahhuya/pseuds/Ahhuya
Summary: Sometimes, the leader of Voltron needs to walk his space wolf. Sometimes the captain of the Atlas happens to get dragged along.





	Atlas Talks, but Wolves Howl Louder

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to join the contest in the [Across the Universe](https://sheith-across-the-universe.tumblr.com/) server, because what's a better way of making sure writing papers doesn't stress you to death than trying to write some cute sheith?
> 
> Also thanks to abyssiniana for beta'ing this thing, because my writing still doesnt improve when I'm tired and get a headache on top of that :')

Garrison meetings are longer than Shiro remembered them to be. After a year of short, direct briefings, with all information displayed underneath their fingertips, being reunited with Earth technology is different to say the least. Sure, the integration of Altean tech makes some things easy to understand, but in the end the Atlas isn’t the Castle of Lions.

The entire morning is filled with coalition meetings and war strategies. Somewhere in between, Shiro knows he should be training with his old teammates. Coordinating their attack patterns so that the two weapons are in sync, is what could make the difference in the war.

But instead of being in space or the training room, he finds himself at the bridge. The Atlas has fully recovered from the battle against Sendak. Docked in her hangar underneath the Garrison, it is only a matter of time before she’s ready to fly and transform again. But they need statistics and estimations on her energy levels before that. Every piece of information about Shiro’s connection to the ship is valuable, and each second they can calculate into their strategies is another victory.

Coran, Sam and Iverson sit at their usual spots. The displays glow a soft orange, a color that just doesn’t seem right to Shiro. The only thing that tells him he’s still working with Altean mechanisms are the blue energy lines flowing through the ship, lines that are only visible to  _ his  _ eyes.

He knows he’s been at it for hours, hand connected to the controls as he listens how Atlas calls for him. Her humming stops the moment the door behind him opens.

“Shiro.” Keith’s voice replaces the noises from Atlas as he enters the bridge. “Kosmo needs to be walked and he refuses to come with me.”

“And?” Shiro looks up, his hand hesitantly staying in place.

“He wants you to join us.” Keith says. In a flash, the wolf appears next to him, nuzzling his leg, begging for attention.

“I’m still in a meeting.” Shiro tries to reason. He can’t go out to walk a wolf, not when the universe is depending on him.

“You have been for hours.” Keith sighs as he leans against the wall. “It’s just a walk. You can go back to  _ this, _ ” he points at the screens, “after that.”

Kosmo whines, his bright yellow piercing through Shiro’s soul.

“Just go, Shiro.” Sam assures him. “We can resume our tests later.”

With reluctance, the hand finally leaves the panel. The orange surroundings stay on, but the surrounding blue lines vanish from his sight. Atlas’ voice becomes a mere whisper. Kosmo pushes Shiro to the door with his nose in the back of his knee.

They don’t talk much on their way out of the ship. The passing soldiers greet the couple as they walk through the halls. The salutations start to get boring, bothersome. They’ve been fighting a war for years, but they were never military. The only thing worse than being called a soldier is being called a hero. Because with all the hurt Shiro has caused, the title of hero doesn’t seem to belong to him.

Outside the Atlas, a single AW-Cruiser is waiting. Kosmo jumps inside and Keith takes the wheel, motioning Shiro to sit down next to him.

“Where are we taking him?” Shiro asks, watching Kosmo peek through the tinted windows as the surrounding desert comes into view.

“ _ You _ .” Keith corrects him. “And to Plaht city. I heard the rebuilding is going along nicely.”

“What does he need in Plaht city?” He turns to Kosmo on the back seat. Somehow, calling the animal by its given name sounds wrong, at least in front of Keith, who still insist the wolf will tell his name one day.

“He’s going for a walk there.”

Shiro hums. Of course he is. Though Shiro is convinced Kosmo wouldn’t make a big deal about walking through the desert or around the base instead.

The ruins of Plaht show up after twenty minutes into the ride. Just like when they arrived back on Earth, the city is not what it used to be.  Collapsed remains of buildings that once stood tall appear against the horizon , but the sense of constant destruction has been lifted. The sound of life flows through the streets, people walking around to restore what can still be saved. It’s a collaboration of every species Shiro vaguely remembers meeting. The coalition is in full power.

When the cruiser comes to a halt, Kosmo zaps away, not appearing on the other side of the vehicle when Shiro gets out.

“Where did he go?” He asks, though Keith’s triumphant face is a clear answer to the question he had refrained from asking.

“On a walk.” Keith shrugs with a grin. “Maybe we’ll get some complaints from the Olkari about sudden dog shit later.”

“He doesn’t need us to go out, does he?” Shiro sighs.

“No, but apparently, you do.”

“Don’t make me sound like a dog.”

“At least the wolf knows when to leave. You just work yourself to exhaustion. I’m doing you a favor.” Keith says as he walks into a small backstreet. Keith isn’t any better himself, Shiro knows, but it’s the gesture that counts. They’re watching out for each other.

“Vrepit Sal’s recently adapted Hunk’s pizza recipe.” Keith says as he walks into a small market place with a number of alien shops. “Want to try it out?”

There is no real answer to give; before Shiro knows it, he’s standing in front of the Galran version of Hunk. The only difference being that the food on the stand is a combination of Earth ingredients Shiro wouldn’t dare to put together.

They settle at a small bench on the side of the road. Still in their uniforms, they easily catch the eye of any passersby. Whispers of their names travel through the street, but those who are too familiar with the war know to let them be. Crowds that want to see them, keep their distance and don’t call them out. In the middle of the street, they still find more privacy than in the entire Atlas.

“He learned cooking from Hunk. It can’t be that bad.” Keith says as he sees the slight disgust on Shiro’s face. The argument sounds convincing, but the food in Shiro’s hand isn’t. A black sauce drips out of the dough, covering the rest of the ingredients, making it impossible to figure out what’s on it.

“Hunk tried to teach me to cook once.” Shiro mutters as he tries to muster the courage to take a bite.

“Never mind that argument then.” Keith laughs as he eats the pizza without care. “Sorry, Shiro, but not even your mac and cheese is edible.”

“It’s made after true Garrison recipe.” Shiro says with a mocking pride.

“That might be the problem. Trust me, I’ve lived off canned food for a year and that was better than anything the Garrison ever produced.” Keith argues.

When he finally takes a bite, led on by the fact that Keith is still eating his slice, he’s surprised to note that the taste of the pizza isn’t quite as bad as he had imagined it to be. Whatever Hunk has taught the Galran is more than the simple ‘boil the water and throw the pasta in it’ lesson Shiro had to settle with after five failed attempts at a good macaroni.

“I can’t believe this is actually good.” Shiro mumbles as he takes another bite. It’s truly Hunk’s cooking, except the presentation needs a few tweaks to make it look as delicious as it tastes.

“You deserve to eat something else than food goo, frozen diner and canned soup.” Keith smiles. “We liberated our home, we can afford to try and spoil ourselves sometimes. And we’ve been eating the worst things for so long.”

“Was the castle that bad? I thought Hunk took over the kitchen fairly quick.” Shiro raises and eyebrow.

“You forget the two years with my mom’s cooking.” Keith points out. “Burned alien meat might be a contestant for Garrison food.”

“Do I need to fear for the first time you get to cook my dinner?” Shiro smirks.

“I’d take lessons from Hunk before that.” Keith smiles back. “You only deserve the best.”

Shiro grows silent at that, words unable to portray his feelings. He hasn’t had anything for years, nothing he didn’t have to fight tooth and nail for. And yet, he’s still convinced he’s done nothing to deserve Keith’s constant care.

The time they get to spend on that small bench is lovely and Shiro wonders if Kosmo can be walked more often or to places even farther away from the Garrison.

Right before Keith can take the final bite of his pizza, Kosmo returns in a flash of blue. His fur is covered in dark mud Shiro knows will be seen as a safety hazard if the Garrison were to ever find out where the wolf walked himself. Keith doesn’t care as he throws his last piece at the animal and watches it get devoured.

“Do you think the people in the Atlas wonder why we take so long?” Keith asks as he lets his fingers run through Kosmo’s fur, mud sticking to his palm.

“We’ll tell them he ran away.” Shiro laughs as he holds out his flesh hand to the wolf and watches it come closer and lean against his leg.

“Would explain the mud.” Keith says. “I don’t want to force him to go through a full decontamination again. He barely stands still for a bath.”

“We still need to get him inside the cruiser though.” Shiro sighs as he watches the wolf lay down before them. Tongue hanging out, Kosmo pants softly and content. Whatever adventure he had on his walk, must have been a good one. 

“... Want to get another pizza and wait for the mud to dry?” Keith smirks.

“Yeah.” Shiro says. Atlas doesn’t call for him again that day.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Ahhuya) or [Tumblr](https://aulra.tumblr.com/)


End file.
